Cinema

For more movie summaries, see Kam’s Kapsules.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS: Former Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (left), President George W. Bush (center) and Vice President Richard Cheney appear to be congratulating each other over the success of their policies regarding the progress of the war in Iraq at the beginning of the conflict. Sadly, as the war progressed, time has shown their strategies to be unsuccessful in leading to peace in the beleaguered country.

No End in Sight: Documentary Sees "No End in Sight" to Iraq War

This even-handed documentary reconstructs the comedy of errors which unfolded in Iraq following President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" declaration. The picture reminds us that there's plenty of blame to spread around for the mess we're in, given that so many Republican and military leaders were willing to rubber stamp the White House's ever overly optimistic appraisal of the state of affairs in Iraq.

From Vice President Richard Cheney, to Secretary of State Colin Powell, to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, to Director of Reconstruction Paul Bremer, all of the administration's key advisors are exposed as being inept and lacking a viable plan for winning the peace. Instead, they apparently played a dangerous game of hot potato with the press, taking turns tossing media microphones around to each other to make rosy predictions about the death throes of the insurgency and the prospects for the democracy.

What makes this movie most entertaining is the participation of former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and several other ex-insiders who gradually grew disenchanted and are now willing to reveal the extent to which the master plan was mismanaged. The only problem with the anticlimactic production is that it arrives belatedly, at a juncture when John McCain is just about the only loyalist left still supporting President Bush's strategy.

So, while No End in Sight carefully makes a convincing case using damning news footage and confessional interviews, don't be surprised if it all feels a little like preaching to the choir.

The film is akin to Frontline devoting an entire episode to the tobacco industry's cover-up of the link between smoking and cancer, as if everybody didn't already know.

Duh!

Excellent (4 stars). Unrated. Running time: 102 minutes. Studio: Magnolia Pictures.

For more movie summaries, see Kam’s Kapsules.

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